Edward Ellington
Toronto Daily Star, July 14 1938
Edward Ellington (1877-1967) was not actually the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force at the time of this photograph. He had held that post between 1933 and 1937, during which time he restructured the RAF into the organization that it used during the Second World War. He also established a ratio of five bomber squadrons to two fighter squadrons, since bombers were likely to be more important in the upcoming war with Germany.
In 1937, Sir Edward (he was knighted in 1920) became the Inspector General of the Royal Air Force, who was primarily responsible for the inspection of airfields. I couldn't find out what happened when he inspected Canada, but a similar visit to Australia in 1938 led to the dismissal of the chief of staff of the Royal Australian Air Force. Sir Edward was near the end of his career by this time; he retired in 1940.
As distinguished as he was, Sir Edward is not the most famous person with that name. "Edward Ellington" was the given name of Duke Ellington, the American composer, pianist, and bandleader.
Created September 24, 2025.